How does online advertising become less effective than advertisers expect and less effective than measurements indicate? The current research explores problems that result, in part, from malfeasance by outside perpetrators who overstate their efforts to increase their measured performance. View Summary

How does online advertising become less effective than advertisers expect and less effective than measurements indicate? The current research explores problems that result, in part, from malfeasance by outside perpetrators who overstate their efforts to increase their measured performance. In parallel, similar vulnerabilities result from mistaken analysis of cause and effect - errors that have become more fundamental as advertisers target their advertisements with greater precision. In the paper that follows, the author attempts to identify the circumstances that make advertisers most vulnerable, notes adjusted contract structures that offer some protections, and explores the origins of the problems in participants' incentives and in legal rules.

Few marketing campaigns purely are viral. Most comprise both viral (peer-to-peer transmission) and non-viral (firm-initiated transmission) components. Unfortunately, current metrics for assessing viral-campaign performance seldom differentiate between these components, potentially overstating the true contribution made by the viral component. Moreover, reach (number of users who received the content) is a time-based metric that typically is favored at the expense of campaign sharing, which fundamentally is a generation-based metric (transmission of content to others). This paper presents and tests a mathematical model that addresses these issues, thereby providing a more accurate and valid means for assessing campaign performance.

This paper compares different digital video ad 'viewability' measures, assessing accuracy, efficacy and reporting capabilities of four different vendors in the US. View Summary

This paper compares different digital video ad 'viewability' measures, assessing accuracy, efficacy and reporting capabilities of four different vendors in the US.

Digital ad measurement by impressions is an inadequate measure as this does not take into account whether the user actually saw the ad.

Kellogg, the cereal company, and BrightRoll, a video advertising platform, developed a two-phase testing framework to compare measures: phase one operated in a controlled environment and phase two was based on each vendor's reporting.

The accuracy of some vendors was limited, indicating problems with measures based on sampling.

Video viewability is less consistent than digital display viewability, and the study suggested that third-party measurement was a preferred option to avoid conflicts of interest.

This paper argues that as a result of big data researchers should reconsider how they measure confidence intervals, and move from a calculation based on an infinite population size to one of 'Finite Population Correction' (FPC). View Summary

This paper argues that as a result of big data researchers should reconsider how they measure confidence intervals, and move from a calculation based on an infinite population size to one of 'Finite Population Correction' (FPC).

Traditional research samples a smaller proportion of a group, making confidence less certain, whereas big data allows the analysis of much larger volumes of data and greater confidence in findings.

Examples of the FPC principle in practice include survey responses, large scale panel data, point of sale data and cookie data.

This approach should be used when processing the data for at least 5% of a population, with standard deviations taken into account.

This article argues that using mobile clicks for optimisation or measurement of mobile advertising is flawed, and instead offers research supporting mobile app usage as an alternative predictor. View Summary

This article argues that using mobile clicks for optimisation or measurement of mobile advertising is flawed, and instead offers research supporting mobile app usage as an alternative predictor.

The primary driver of mobile ad clicks is inventory hosting the ad and there is little correlation between CTR and the advertised brand.

An alternative methodology for targeting mobile impressions for an advertising campaign shows that a particular user's mobile app usage correlates with the brands that the user interacts with online.

This article presents learnings from a multi-platform partnership between Pivot, a US cable channel, and Monster, a jobs search website, to determine the contribution of content marketing to the Monster brand. View Summary

This article presents learnings from a multi-platform partnership between Pivot, a US cable channel, and Monster, a jobs search website, to determine the contribution of content marketing to the Monster brand.

Pivot worked with Monster to create a multiplatform initiative that encouraged Pivot's millennial audience to “Find Better” in their lives and careers, and provide them with the necessary knowledge and tools to do so.

A range of measures were used to analyse the impact of the partnership including brand recall, social media listening and biometrics.

Brands can benefit from a combination of branded content and ad campaigns when the quality of the brand integration is high.

9

Multi-platform takeover: From TV to total video - how integrated video planning can transition advertising from 'upfronts' to 'allfronts'

This article provides guidance for adopting a 'total video' approach to media planning, that moves beyond television planning to a consumer-centric model that encompasses video consumption across multiple platforms. View Summary

This article provides guidance for adopting a 'total video' approach to media planning, that moves beyond television planning to a consumer-centric model that encompasses video consumption across multiple platforms.

TV remains the leading media channel for the vast majority of consumers, but viewing time is largely flat and digital video viewing is rising.

A new 'total video' approach is needed to understand video viewing across platforms, with data that puts viewers at the centre of advertising decision making.

Media planners need to use an integrated cross-platform measure of reach, provide a combined view of digital platforms, quantify the impact and ROI of each channel and use digital more efficiently to reach specific demographic targets.

10

Social media advertising value: the case of transitional economies in Southeast Asia

This research investigates the antecedents of social media advertising value, and the effect of this advertising value on online purchase intention in transitional economies in Southeast Asia. View Summary

This research investigates the antecedents of social media advertising value, and the effect of this advertising value on online purchase intention in transitional economies in Southeast Asia. Moreover, the moderating effect of different types of social media on the relationships between the predictors and social media advertising value is also explored. The field study is conducted in Vietnam, a representative of Southeast Asian transitional economies in the current study. The results show that, in Southeast Asian transitional economies, the three social media advertising beliefs – i.e. informativeness, entertainment and credibility – have positive effects on consumers’ perceived value of social media advertising, which in turn positively influences their online purchase intention. Additionally, on social networking websites, the effects of advertising informativeness and entertainment on advertising value are weaker than those on content community websites. Nevertheless, there is no difference in the effect of advertising credibility on advertising value in both types of social media. Based on the findings presented, theoretical and managerial implications are drawn.

11

Are contextual advertisements effective? The moderating role of complexity in banner advertising

The internet environment has changed the format of internet advertising. One emerging form of online marketing communication is ‘contextual advertising’, in which marketers strive to develop customised images or texts more relevant to customers based on the content of web pages. View Summary

The internet environment has changed the format of internet advertising. One emerging form of online marketing communication is ‘contextual advertising’, in which marketers strive to develop customised images or texts more relevant to customers based on the content of web pages. This study investigates the effectiveness of internet contextual ads. In particular, we examine the effect of internet contextual ads on brand memory (i.e. recall and recognition) and attitudes towards the advertisement and/or brand using the theory of priming effect. We find that the complexity of banner ads moderates the relationship between a contextual advertisement and its effectiveness, and generates two distinct priming effects (i.e. assimilation and contrast effects). The results demonstrate that the internet contextual advertisement enhances brand recognition and induces favourable attitudes towards the ad. In addition, consumers have higher recall rates and attitudes towards the brand when they are exposed to a less complex contextual advertisement or when they are exposed to a complex, non-contextual advertisement.

12

Pushing the boundaries of MMM: Modeling multiple business KPI and interdependencies in media inputs

This paper compares the approaches of two Indian banks, Axis Bank and Kotak Bank, to their media budgets during difficult economic times, seeking to understand the ROI of different approaches. View Summary

This paper compares the approaches of two Indian banks, Axis Bank and Kotak Bank, to their media budgets during difficult economic times, seeking to understand the ROI of different approaches.

One bank restricted media budgets in the belief that branches and ATMs provided a visible presence, and paid media did not drive revenue.

Whereas the other bank maintained a strong media spend, but wanted to understand how digital media, including display, search and social, contributed to ROI.

Marketing mix modelling was used to understand the impact of these approaches, finding that paid media contributes to revenue by driving salience and digital media is valuable in stimulating consumer interest and improving user experience.

This paper aims to help publishers understand what makes content shareable and how to best optimise their output with the 'Contagious Content' framework. View Summary

This paper aims to help publishers understand what makes content shareable and how to best optimise their output with the 'Contagious Content' framework.

The model was developed through five key stages of research: concept initiation, hypotheses generation, model scoping and development, quantitative testing, and a field test with Yahoo!, the internet company.

This research highlighted the importance of putting content first, recognising that there are different drivers of virality for different sectors, and understanding that social currency is the main driving force behind why people share content.

Other findings include that younger audiences are more likely to share content, particularly online, whereas older people are more likely to talk about content in conversation; strong imagery and video content can play a key role in triggering sharing, although poor imagery is unlikely to have a negative effect.

14

Numbers, Please: Digital Game Changers: How Social Media Will Help Usher in the Era of Mobile and Multi-Platform Campaign-Effectiveness Measurement

This paper examines the future of advertising investment into mobile and multi-platform campaigns. Future spend is expected to be driven by social media leaders facilitating marketing-effectiveness research into the area. View Summary

This paper examines the future of advertising investment into mobile and multi-platform campaigns. Future spend is expected to be driven by social media leaders facilitating marketing-effectiveness research into the area. Three critical factors will support the creation of a multi-platform effectiveness metric: mobile-platform shift, native advertising and Big-Data enablement. These new ways of measuring effectiveness will provide metrics that can deliver both top-line and bottom-line improvements and help marketers optimize campaigns in a way that maximizes impact through reaching the right audience more efficiently. With time, these advanced metrics will provide a substantially clearer assessment of digital marketing ROI and ensure that digital channels attract their fair share of media spend.

15

Who "Likes" You ... and Why? A Typology of Facebook Fans: From "Fan"-atics and Self-Expressives to Utilitarians and Authentics

Although many managers recognize that Facebook Fans represent a marketing opportunity, there has been little research into the nature of different Fan types. View Summary

Although many managers recognize that Facebook Fans represent a marketing opportunity, there has been little research into the nature of different Fan types. This study explores a typology of Fans, drawn from a sample of 438 individuals who “Like” brands on Facebook. Fans’ brand loyalty, brand love, use of self-expressive brands, and word of mouth (WOM) for Liked brands were used to suggest four Fan types: the “Fan”-atic, the Utilitarian, the Self-Expressive, and the Authentic. The results of this exploratory study highlight the value of cluster analysis as a strategy for identifying different Fan types and provide insights to prompt further research into Facebook Fan types.

16

Lessons Learned from 197 Metrics, 150 Studies, and 12 Essays: A Field Guide to Digital Metrics

Editor’s Note: As the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) prepares to come off press with The Digital Metrics Field Guide—The Definitive Reference for Brands Using the Web, Social Media, Mobile Media, or Email, the Journal asked author Stephen D. View Summary

Editor’s Note: As the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) prepares to come off press with The Digital Metrics Field Guide—The Definitive Reference for Brands Using the Web, Social Media, Mobile Media, or Email, the Journal asked author Stephen D. Rappaport for a taste of the new work. And he replied, “Looking across the 197 metrics that made it into the Field Guide, the 30-plus authoritative metrics sources consulted, the nearly 150 research studies and reports cited, and the 12 essays contributed by recognized industry experts, the natural question is: ‘What did we learn that helps practitioners and their brands use metrics wisely?’” Rappaport’s answer: “Quite a lot.” More specifically, “Some learning centered on practices. Other learning shed light on our industry’s mental models toward what we measure and why. Still more learning provided views on measurement futures. Hopefully, the discussions, debates, and actions taken based on these lessons will enable all brands to maximize their use of metrics and through them achieve higher levels of brand performance.” In this excerpt, we begin with six lessons from Rappaport’s extensive exploration and follow up those insights with a series of four essays from thought leaders who live, think, and prosper at the most advanced edges of the digital-marketing ecosystem.

17

The effects of ad-context congruency on responses to advertising in blogs: exploring the role of issue involvement

This study examines the effect of ad–context congruency and the moderating role of issue involvement on consumers’ responses to banner ads on blogs. View Summary

This study examines the effect of ad–context congruency and the moderating role of issue involvement on consumers’ responses to banner ads on blogs. Results indicate that a banner ad that is thematically congruent with the blog’s context generates more favourable responses than an ad that is not congruent with the context. However, issue involvement moderates the effect of congruency. When a banner ad was placed in a congruent context, individuals who were highly involved with the issue discussed in the blog responded more positively to the ad. However, when a banner ad was placed in an incongruent context, individuals who were less involved with the issue responded more favourably to the ad. Findings suggest that ad–context congruency is especially important when targeting audiences who feel the issue is very relevant to them. In contrast, ad–context incongruency is better perceived by individuals who are less involved with the issue. We explain these findings using the tenets of contextual priming vs cognitive interference. The theoretical and managerial implications of this study are also discussed.

This paper describes a research project that aimed to quantify the value of the internet to consumers generally and, for some specific activities like banking and shopping, by using the economic concept of "consumer surplus". View Summary

This paper describes a research project that aimed to quantify the value of the internet to consumers generally and, for some specific activities like banking and shopping, by using the economic concept of "consumer surplus". The paper describes the impact of the web on companies and societies and predicts future increases in usage as the internet continues to expand to emerging nations and across mobile devices. The research also provides new knowledge and insights on today's connected consumers across countries, segments and generations. It includes data for 13 national markets globally.

19

If an Advertisement Runs Online and No One Sees It, Is It Still an Ad? Empirical Generalizations in Digital Advertising

This study presents findings from three charter studies involving leading global advertisers in three key geographical regions: the United States, Europe, and Canada. View Summary

This study presents findings from three charter studies involving leading global advertisers in three key geographical regions: the United States, Europe, and Canada. The goal of the research was to identify and better understand the incidence of sub-optimal digital campaign delivery as it pertains to viewability, audience delivery, geographic targeting, and brand safety. Through an evaluation of the study findings, several significant empirical generalizations emerged, and this article highlights these generalizations and discusses their implications for the digital advertising ecosystem.

20

In the Eye of the Beholder; The Equality of Ad Effectiveness Across Platforms

This paper describes a study that is part of a wider research agenda of The Walt Disney Company, the US entertainment group, about how the video platforms upon which Disney video content is available - TV, computer, tablet, mobile - affect viewing of both the content and advertising. View Summary

This paper describes a study that is part of a wider research agenda of The Walt Disney Company, the US entertainment group, about how the video platforms upon which Disney video content is available - TV, computer, tablet, mobile - affect viewing of both the content and advertising.

The authors point out that future research should focus on the congruence between viewing platforms and the advertised brand as well as creative execution, which they see as key factors driving cross-platform advertising effectiveness.

21

Increase Return on Marketing Investments by Measuring the Previously Unmeasurable

This paper looks at how Precision Market Insights from Verizon (Precision) can aid measurement of the actions and responses of mobile device users in the US. View Summary

This paper looks at how Precision Market Insights from Verizon (Precision) can aid measurement of the actions and responses of mobile device users in the US.

It can be used in out-of-home media campaigns, event sponsorships, mobile sites and apps, and event attendance.

Measurable elements include the demographic, psychographic and geographic trends the audience exhibits, the physical locations they visit and how target audiences respond after being exposed to a specific out-of-home campaign or message.

The paper includes case studies from The Phoenix Suns, an NBA league basketball team, the 2013 Men's College Basketball Tournament in the USA and a Home & Garden Show out-of-home advertising campaign.

Despite the growth in the number of brands with a presence on social media such as Facebook and YouTube, questions remain about how to conceptualise and measure people’s experiences with brands’ content on social media, and how to measure the value of people’s behaviour around such content to brands. View Summary

Despite the growth in the number of brands with a presence on social media such as Facebook and YouTube, questions remain about how to conceptualise and measure people’s experiences with brands’ content on social media, and how to measure the value of people’s behaviour around such content to brands. By interrogating quantitative data garnered from 6,400 respondents we sent to Facebook pages belonging to 27 brands across six brand categories during June 2011, this paper presents an overview of how we designed two sets of metrics, and some of the findings from these metrics: (1) a series of ‘value of experience’ metrics based on the likelihood of people who claim to have had positive experiences with a brand’s content on Facebook to say they are likely to do different social media, purchase funnel and brand advocacy actions for that same brand; and (2) a series of ‘value of a fan’ metrics that measure the likelihood of people who say they are likely to do different social media actions on a brand’s page (such as post positive comments or share content) to say they are also likely to do different purchase funnel and advocacy actions for that brand.

23

In search of digital ROI: Best practices for including digital data in marketing mix modeling

Includes video content

Recommended by Warc editors

Trends

Best Practice

Eric Schmidt, ARF Experiential Learning, Re:Think conference, 2013

This paper examines the challenges of including digital data in marketing mix models and suggests some best practices for determining its sales impact and ROI. View Summary

This paper examines the challenges of including digital data in marketing mix models and suggests some best practices for determining its sales impact and ROI. To better understand how to make mix decisions, it considers the unique difficulties in measuring three digital media types - online display, search (paid), and social word-of-mouth (buzz). Once the metrics have been determined, they must be combined with other sales drivers in a sales response modeling framework. Results are developed in a consistent framework with 'traditional' media to allow resource allocation decisions across the entire mix.

24

The Power of Evil: The Damage of Negative Social Media Strongly Outweigh Positive Contributions

Media activities generated by consumers or communities that are neither paid for nor induced by brand owners are claimed to have a potentially game-changing impact on communication and brand building. View Summary

Media activities generated by consumers or communities that are neither paid for nor induced by brand owners are claimed to have a potentially game-changing impact on communication and brand building. In this study, the authors propose a rigorous methodology to assess the impact of this type of social media activities on the actual performance of brands in the market. The article begins by developing a four-step process to condense the complex reality of micro-social-media events for a brand into a manageable set of social media indicators (SMI). These SMI subsequently are used as a subset of the drivers, together with more traditional marketing-mix elements—in a general market-response model—to estimate their relative impact on brand performance in the market. This methodology is illustrated with two real-world examples—one in the flat-screen-television market and the other in the set of Internet broadband-service providers.

Pat LaPointe considers Facebook's appeal to marketers and the value of a Fan, as social media appears to promise greater reward for less investment. View Summary

Pat LaPointe considers Facebook's appeal to marketers and the value of a Fan, as social media appears to promise greater reward for less investment. LaPointe recommends that marketers must acknowledge that not all Fans are equal and are influenced by different factors.